ALBANY, New York — A fragile working relationship between Gov. Kathy Hochul and President Donald Trump is in danger of being torn apart if Zohran Mamdani is elected New York City mayor.
Trump has treated Hochul differently from other blue-state governors, holding his fire while working with her on key state priorities. She persuaded him to restore $187 million in counterterrorism funding, negotiated energy policy with his administration and personally lobbied him to preserve Manhattan’s congestion pricing toll plan.
Still, there’s unfinished business. The federal government shutdown led to Trump’s administration freezing funding for long-planned projects, including the Second Avenue subway expansion and the Gateway Tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey. Trump announced last week the Gateway project is “canceled.” The state has also sued over releasing $34 million in antiterrorism funding for New York City mass transit.
Business leaders who have pushed for those projects, which are well underway, expect the funds to be unlocked once the Washington impasse is over. Nevertheless, Hochul is being looked to as a chief advocate for the state as the stalemate drags on. Her early track record of working with Trump has bred optimism.
“Out of the governors across the country, this has been one of the successes,” said Carlo Scissura, the president of the New York Building Congress, a construction industry group. “She’s really been able to navigate understanding the president, understanding his agenda and getting the most for New York.”
